Deadlands

Where It All Began...

In the land where multiple kingdoms thrive and prosper there is one that everyone knows about, without a doubt, Camelot. A blossoming city which Uther reigns over with two under him, Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana. A family that has a strong bond no matter the circumstance, war will not tear them apart, and most definitely no magic can do that. But yet again, there are secrets deep inside their walls, secrets that if revealed would burn their flag down and crack their stone foundation. A sparkling town turned to dust. Now the difference between Camelot and here is: Camelot still stands.

Back when the Old Religion was sacred and used properly, but also wrongly, a fortress once stood in the heart of a mountain side. A battle that brought forth countless deaths, from peasants to those in the royal household. A war that was part of the Purge and of other "quests" that turned into battles over Uther's hands and his one thought.

Magic must be stopped.

Those who hold such gifts must serve the sentence, death. Either hanged, drowned, burned at the stake or to those who he extremely disliked; he would throw them into dense oil that consumed their bodies first, then light it. Death, a circumstance that no one can escape. Children screaming from the depths of water, men crying and pleading in the flames and women floating in the air. I have seen all this man has done due to the fact that what he cannot control rules over his conscious. Fear is his motive, dangerous it is, wild and untamable. And overall unseen till pulled to the light by force.

My mother was slain by three enchanted arrows from the bow of a young male sorcerer.

My father burned in the fire that only dragons can produce.

My brother, no word has come from him. I feel he has fallen in the battlefield that Uther turned a blind eye to. He dares look to where his own family lives and instead of help, we died. We suffered. We were helpless. No red cloaks blurred the green forest, only blood stained the ground that children use to run on and that once held festivals and feasts. All the previous glory is now stripped away.

Pendragon. A worthy name that is soaked in the blood of innocent deaths and of royalty. A name that shall never leave my lips until the time has come.

Don't worry, I won't strike him down with my sword, I do not thirst for his blood. I do not want revenge. I am not a villain. I understand the flaws in men, women and children and even those of magical background. I have made mistakes, but I do not hold him to his. What he thought was right, wasn't.

My father says otherwise about Uther.

"He is a man that never lets go of the past, but lives in it, the glory, the fall, and the venom that will always be there throughout all of time. Magic. He shall never accept it, but there is hope Kana, there is always hope. That his son would see what magic truly is, pure. And it is not magic that brought down this land, but the hearts of those who fell to the darkness. It was the thoughts and the intent, magic is neither good or evil. But in the hands of creatures that is when it shows. Pure can become tainted. Happiness can rot into dread. A smile can turn into an evil grin. To know a pure person is rare, but to know an impure person who tries to change themselves is golden. Never let those people go Kana. They are those who need a friend, a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, a person by their side. They may not admit it, but they need it."

But a facade can hide any emotions, and her name, Elios. My, friend.

"You must run! The dragons are striking harder than ever before! The castle will fall! You must leave!" I shake my head as my hands clasp around her fragile frame. Tears burst from my eyes as a well overflows in the courtyard, it doesn't stop.

"But you must come with me!"

"I cannot! You are the King's daughter! You must live!" Elios thrusts with all her might as I am thrown down a window into the cover of trees. Her hand stretches out, eyes flash yellow and phrases that never leaves my conscious is strung from her lips.

"There she is. The King's only living ward. The daughter. Run to the forest."

A love that covers all evil is unveiled. Elios. My dear friend, the girl I grew up with and later became my servant is a follower of dark sorcerers. Why. I never ponder over it, I don't want to think of the reason or reasons why she turned away. But in that moment my heart tore open and it has never sealed. And it will remain open and vulnerable to all who come in my path.

I hang in that tree as balls of flames encircle me, bandits with scars stare up at my body with a lust that cannot be fulfilled. They take rapid steps and begin to climb the tree, panic strikes as I have one resort. I hold my breath, heart beat significantly decreases and a light cloaks my form. In the last seconds of the King's children, he granted us a power, the ability to move our shapes before death.

In my final moments, I thought of a place where happiness is the only choice to choose, a place where all should be accepted. No magic or fully human. I was teleported to another land where peace was present, barely, Ealdor. I reform, surrounding me is a wooden structure that can only be a stable or a stable and house combined, one long building. A woman's scream greets my presence and I automatically hide behind a barrel.

"A child! A.. A,"

Say it. A sorceress. A person who uses magic. An evil person. SAY IT!

"Son! Get me a bucket of water and cloth! Quickly!" she approaches me swiftly which causes a whimper to slide from my mouth. She kneels down and my eyes light up, she withdraws her hands and I have just confirmed her suspicion. A young boy with wobbly knees, the darkest black hair I've ever seen and vibrant blue eyes appear with a leaky bucket.

"Here mother, I'm sorry for the wait, I can't run well with short legs." she laughs off his words, dips the cloth in the water and places it against my burning forehead.

"It is alright Merlin," my posture immediately changes at the sound of his name, "she will need a place to sleep for the night please make her feel at home."

"Yes, mother." he runs off and disappears around the corner. My eyes do not leave him, his mother refocuses my mind.

"What is your name miss? By your bright red hair, I dare say from the mountains, which is a good solid six days walk away yet you just are here."

"I-I," be careful, "Ana, my name is Ana."

Always be cautious with your name. Don't use it till the time comes. When you greet Camelot with your heels against the stone ground, that is when you shall reveal your true self.